NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS?

"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other". Anon.

But not for CHIRA members - right? Resolve to contribute to your blog by commenting on something that is in our weekly post or email us your suggestions for sharing with your fellow-CHIRA members .....Deadline: chiradublin@gmail.com before 5pm on Mondays.

Here are this week's offerings:

ONE TO WATCH TONIGHT:
Missed the Metsu Exhibition in the National Gallery of Ireland? Have a look at the fictionalised (?) work practices of his rival Vermeer in the film version of Tracey Chevalier's book "Girl with a Pearl Earring" starring Scarlett Johannson and Colin Firth - on the telly at 10pm tonight on BBC Four.

LOTS TO READ:
"Only slaggin'? "- is the Irish arts world too small for objective criticism? Have a look at  Issue 131 of CIRCA on "criticism and criticality"
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwkUVcqj7obvN2Y5NTBiNDQtOGE2Ni00NGRlLThhMmYtNTJhYTZlNDg4YjJk&sort=name&layout=list&num=50
You can check out the responses to these essays on CIRCA's site http://www.recirca.com/ or maybe even contribute your own one? Or better still - GET THE DEBATE GOING HERE!

The CHIRA Reading Group meeting will be held in early February. We are currently deciding on an arts-related text from those suggestions submitted by CHIRA members at the inaugural meeting in October. We will circulate the chosen title (it won't be a long text) and members may choose to read it in advance of the meeting.

However, don't worry if you feel you can't commit to additional reading in addition to your current workload - just come along to the meeting where one member has offered to present their response to the text. The aim of this exercise is foster debate and discussion about arts-related texts within the group so you will be able to participate on the basis of the "response" even if you haven't had time to read the text in advance. Further details shortly.

VOTE NOW!: (no it's not THE election yet but there is a link* between politicians and this post...)

The Gentleman's Magazine from 1838 tells us that Ranelagh had just under 2,000 inhabitants and that it was the site of the first manned hot-air * balloon flight by Wicklow-man Richard Crosbie (it was - here's the Dictionary of Irish Biography entry https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwkUVcqj7obvMTM3YjA5MjgtMzhlOS00MTkyLWJjMzgtZDQxZjlkZDAwMjBi&sort=name&layout=list&num=50 (It's also available at http://www.dib.ie)

Have your say on how Dublin City is designed and functions from your perspective by voting in the fourth poll of the Irish Architecture Foundation's web and street project Re-Drawing Dublin
Vote at http://www.architecturefoundation.ie/ on the question Yes or No: "Is Ranelagh Urban?"

 
ARE FUNDING CUTS FOR THE ARTS A FORM OF CULTURE-BASHING? : It's going to be a nail-biting time for recipients of Arts Council of Ireland funding in 2011 with budget cuts for the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport expected to be in the region of €4.5 million. Across the water however things are much worse with cuts of between a third and a half to the budget of Arts Council England : http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/04/arts-cuts-devaluation-britain

What kind of relevance do the arts have in any recovery programme for the Irish economy? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!


REMINDER: IRCHSS POST-GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME OPENS JANUARY 7, 2011:

http://www.irchss.ie/schemes/scheme01/index.html